Part 6

The aqueous vapours mixed with those of the essences become condensed in the worm, and the produce of these condensations is gathered in a special vase, known as a Florentine receiver, where the oil becomes separated from the distilled water, by reason of the different densities of the two bodies. According to the nature of the essence, whether lighter or heavier than water, this recipient is supplied either in its upper or lower part with a side spout, by which the overflow of the water passes and leaves the essence to accumulate in the vase in measure as it is produced.

Distilling is continued until the water runs out at the outlet of the worm in a limpid state. By this sign it is known that the distillation is no longer supplying any essential oil to the recipient, as it is precisely the presence of a certain quantity of oil in the water which up to this moment gave it a milky appearance.

_Cordials._—In the preparation of cordials or liqueurs, scrupulous cleanliness is of the utmost consequence; and the best of sugar, the purest of rectified spirits, the best of herbs or essences, and distilled or filtered rain-water should be used. Where possible, distillation should nearly always be employed in the preparation of liqueurs, lemon and orange liqueurs being perhaps exceptions. If, however, distillation is impracticable, prolonged maceration for a month or more should be resorted to. In this case, in adapting the recipes in this chapter, only enough water is to be employed to make up the total to the amount ordered to be distilled off. If, instead of the herbs or spices themselves, it is decided to use the prepared essences, care should be taken to obtain essences prepared from the herbs, and not mere chemical imitations. Messrs. Bush, Messrs. Stafford, Allen & Co., and the London Essence Co. may be communicated with. The syrup is always added to the distillate last of all, and should have been carefully filtered through a clean filter-bag. If care be taken, the liqueur will be clear as soon as made, or at any rate after standing for a few days. Should, however, this not be the case, the liquid may be fined with whites of eggs, allowing one egg to three gallons. In any case, the liqueur should be stored for some months—preferably for a year or more—before being used.

The following are recipes for the making of a number of cordials by distillation. Those who wish to pursue the subject further may be referred to an admirable series of articles which appeared in the _Mineral Water Trade Review_ from September, 1902, to May, 1903.

_To make Absinthe._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of one gallon of rectified spirit, half a gallon of water, two pounds of wormwood tops, and eight grains each of dittany leaves, aniseed, calamus root, and angelica root. Add another half-gallon of water, and distil off six quarts at a moderate heat. Add a pint of syrup containing one pound of sugar.

_To make Aniseed Cordial._—Proceed as for clove cordial, substituting half a pound of bruised aniseed and two ounces each of fennel and coriander seeds for the cloves and allspice, and drawing off only six quarts.

_To make Benedictine._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, two ounces of cardamoms, an ounce each of balm, peppermint, genepi, and angelica root, half an ounce of calamus, a dram of cinnamon, and half a dram each of cloves and nutmeg. Distil off a gallon, and add syrup (made by dissolving eight pounds of sugar in three quarts of water) and three quarts of water.

_To make Green Chartreuse._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, an ounce and a half of lemon-peel, an ounce of balm, half an ounce each of dried peppermint, mountain wormwood, and dried hyssop flowers, three drams of angelica root, a dram of calamus root, half a dram each of cloves, cinnamon, and mace, and a quarter of a dram of cardamoms. Distil off one gallon, and add syrup (made by heating five pounds of sugar in two quarts of water) and a pint of water, colouring the liqueur with a spirituous infusion of spinach or parsley.

_To make Cinnamon Cordial._—Proceed as for clove cordial, substituting half a pound of cinnamon or cassia bark for the cloves and allspice, and distilling at a somewhat lower temperature.

_To make Clove Cordial._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel kept moderately warm, a mixture of one gallon of rectified spirits, one gallon of water, one ounce of bruised cloves, and one dram of allspice. Place the mixture in the still, and draw off six and a half quarts at a moderate heat. Sweeten with syrup (made by heating five pounds of sugar with two quarts of water, and skimming), and colour with cochineal.

_To make Hamburgh Bitters._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, two ounces of cinnamon, one ounce each of wormwood, quassia, calamus root, and centaury, half an ounce each of aniseed, orris, coriander, and cloves, and a dram each of ginger, cardamoms, and mace. Distil off one gallon, and add syrup (made by heating three pounds of sugar in three pints of water) and three pints of water.

_To make Kirschenwasser._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, half a gallon of water, a pound of crushed cherry stones, half a pound of crushed apricot stones, an ounce of dried peach leaves, and two drams of myrrh. Distil off a gallon, and add three pints of spirit of noyau (made by distilling off three pints from a digested mixture of three pints of rectified spirits, a pint and half of water, and a pound of bruised apricot stones), a pint of orange-flower water, a gallon and a half of rectified spirits, syrup (made by heating thirty pounds of sugar in three gallons of water), and water to make up to eight and a half gallons.

_To make Kummel._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, half a pound of caraway-seeds, three drams of orris root, and an ounce of fennel seeds. Distil off one gallon, and add syrup (made by heating seven and a half pounds of sugar in three quarts of water) and a quart of water.

_To make Lemon Cordial._—Proceed as for cinnamon cordial, substituting three-quarters of a pound of dried lemon-peel for the cinnamon.

_To make Noyau._—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, two pounds of crushed apricot or peach stones, and one pound of crushed plum or prune stones. Distil off five quarts, and add a gallon of syrup containing eight pounds of sugar and a gallon of water.

_To make Orange Cordial._—Proceed as for cinnamon cordial, substituting three-quarters of a pound of the yellow part of fresh orange-peel for the cinnamon.

SOME OTHER CORDIALS AND BITTERS.

“_There is no nation yet known in either hemisphere where the people of all conditions are more in want of some cordial to keep up their spirits than in this of ours._”—SWIFT.

THE following recipes are for the making of cordials by simple mixing without distillation. Nearly all require straining, and some may require to be filtered through filter-paper.

_To make Angostura Bitters._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon and a half of water, two ounces of orange-peel, an ounce and a quarter of angostura bark, three-quarters of an ounce each of alkanet root and red sanderswood, half an ounce of gentian root, two drams each of cardamoms, Turkey rhubarb, cinnamon, caraway, coriander, and wormwood, and fifteen grains of turmeric. Strain, and add a pound of honey. Filter, and bottle.

_To make Balm of Molucca._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, an ounce of cloves, and two drams of mace. Filter, and add a gallon of syrup (containing eight pounds of sugar) and two quarts of water.

_To make Brandy Shrub._—Digest for a month a mixture of a gallon of brandy, the peel of two oranges and a lemon, a pint each of orange juice and lemon juice, and five pints of syrup (containing four pounds of sugar). Strain, and bottle.

_To make Cassis._—Digest for a week, in a covered vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, half a gallon of water, two ounces of cinnamon, and sixteen bruised cloves. At the end of the week add a gallon of black currants, and digest for a further two months. Press and strain, and add half a gallon of syrup (containing eight pounds of sugar).

_To make Cherry Brandy._—Digest for three months, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of good brandy and a gallon of fresh cherries, of which about one-quarter of the stones have been broken. Strain, and add two pounds of loaf sugar.

_To make Crême de Cacao._—Mix a gallon of rectified spirits with six pints of water, two and a half pints of syrup (containing two and a half pounds of sugar), and six and a quarter ounces of Bush’s essence of cocoa.

_To make Crême de Cacao (another way)._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a gallon of rectified spirits, a quart of water, two pounds of caracca, roasted and bruised cocoa-nuts, a pound of West Indian cacao-nuts, and a shred of vanilla. Add a quart of syrup (containing two pounds of sugar). Strain, and bottle.

_To make Crême de Café._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a gallon of rectified spirits, two pounds of coffee ground and roasted, and a gallon of water. Add two quarts of syrup (containing four pounds of sugar). Strain, and bottle.

_To make Crême de Menthe._—Mix five quarts of rectified spirits, a quarter of an ounce of oil of peppermint, two gallons of syrup (containing sixteen pounds of sugar) and half a pint of glycerine. Colour as with green chartreuse.

_To make Curaçoa._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a mixture of the peel of nine Seville oranges, the peel of a lemon, a dram each of cinnamon, coriander, and mace, an ounce of bruised Brazil wood, and a pint of rectified spirits. This tincture, having been filtered, is used to flavour a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, and a gallon of syrup (containing eight pounds of sugar).

_To make Ginger Brandy._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, stirring daily, a mixture of a gallon of brandy, six pounds of sugar, two pounds of raisins, half a pound of sweet almonds, two ounces each of bitter almonds and crushed ginger, an ounce of caraway seeds, and six lemons cut into slices.

_To make Lemon Brandy._—Proceed as with cherry brandy, substituting a dozen sliced lemons for the cherries, and adding one pound of sugar only.

_To make Lemon Cordial._—Digest for a month or more, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, half a pound of lemon-peel, quarter of a pound of orange-peel, half an ounce of cinnamon, half an ounce of coriander, and five pints of water. Strain, and add six pints of syrup (containing six pounds of sugar) and three quarts of water.

_To make Orange Bitters._—Digest for a month, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, a pound of dried orange-peel, half a pound of gentian root, two ounces each of coriander and cinnamon, and an ounce of cardamoms. Strain, and add five pints of syrup (containing five pounds of sugar) and two quarts of water.

_To make Rum Shrub._—As brandy shrub, substituting rum for brandy.

_To make Sighs of Love._—Mix a gallon of rectified spirits, two gallons of syrup (containing twelve pounds of sugar), water six pints, eau de rose one quart, and four drops of essence of vanilla. Colour delicately with cochineal.

_To make Sloe Gin._—Digest for a year a mixture of a gallon of unpricked sloes, a gallon of gin, and six or eight pounds of sugar.

_To make Tent._—Digest a mixture of a quart of port, a pint of sherry, a pint of rectified spirits, a quarter of a pint each of lemon juice and orange-flower water, three and a half pints of syrup (containing two pounds of sugar), and three drops of essence of ambergris.

_To make Usquebaugh._—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, shaking daily, a mixture of a gallon of brandy, a pound of stoned raisins, a pound of sugar candy, an ounce each of crushed cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, caraways, and nutmeg, a quarter ounce of saffron, and the rind of a Seville orange.

_To make Vermouth._—Digest for a month, in a closed vessel, a quart of rectified spirits, two and a half gallons of a white wine, a sliced orange, two bruised nutmegs, half an ounce each of centaury, germander, calamus, elecampane, wormwood, and blessed thistle, and a quarter of an ounce each of gentian root and angelica root. Filter, and bottle.

DRINKS—OLD AND NEW

“_Life isn’t all beer and skittles—but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman’s education._”—TOM HUGHES.

_TO make Ale Cup._—Digest for a few hours (preferably for a few days) a quarter of an ounce each of cinnamon and allspice and a couple of cloves in a tea-cupful of sherry, and strain through muslin. Add to this infusion four bottles of ginger beer and a quart of ale. Cool on ice, and serve in tankards.

_To make Badminton._—Mix in a jug, placed on ice, a bottle of soda-water, a bottle of claret, a glass of sherry, a glass of maraschino, the peel and juice of a lemon, a table-spoonful of castor sugar, and a sprig of borage.

_To make Bishop._—Stick four Seville oranges with cloves, and roast them brown before the fire. Place the oranges in a covered earthenware vessel before the fire, together with half a pound of castor sugar, a quarter of an ounce of mixed ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and half a pint each of water and of claret. Let it stand for a few hours—preferably for twenty-four hours. Then squeeze the oranges, and strain. Warm the mixture and add a boiling mixture of half a pint of claret and a quarter of a pint of port.

“_Fine oranges, Well roasted, with sugar and wine in a cup, They’ll make a sweet Bishop when gentlefolks sup._”

_To make Boston Cooler._—Place in a tumbler a bottle of sarsaparilla, a bottle of ginger ale, the rind of a lemon thinly sliced, and a few bits of ice.

The best way to break a piece of ice into smaller pieces is to use a large needle and strike it with a hammer; or it may be crushed by wrapping it in a napkin or other cloth and hitting it with a mallet.

_To make a Brandy Cocktail._—Fill a tumbler with chipped ice, and pour thereon three drops of Boker’s or angostura bitters, six drops of syrup, and half a wine-glassful of brandy. Stir for a minute, and then strain into a wine-glass containing either a small piece of lemon-peel or a few drops of curaçoa.

_To make Champagne Cobbler._—Half fill a large tumbler with shaved ice, add the juice of half a lemon and a tea-spoonful of soda, and fill up with champagne. Dash a little claret over the top. This should be served with straws.

_To make Champagne Cup._—Mix in a jug, placed on ice, a bottle of champagne, two bottles of soda-water, a liqueur-glassful of brandy, a liqueur-glassful of curaçoa or maraschino, two table-spoonfuls of sugar, a thin slice of cucumber (which remove before serving), a pound of ice, and a sprig of verbena.

_To make Cider Cup._—Proceed as with champagne cup, replacing the champagne by cider, and using only one bottle of soda-water.

_Simple Claret Cup._—Extract the “zest” or essential oil from the peel of a lemon by rubbing four lumps of sugar upon it. Pare another lemon as thinly as you can. Put the paring and the sugar into a large jug, and pour in a quart of claret. Mix all well together, and set the jug on ice for one hour. Just before serving add a pint of sparkling moselle and two bottles of soda-water. Put a few sprigs of borage or of balm into the jug.—_J. R._

_To make Coffee._—Purchase whole, and preferably unroasted, berries of good quality from a reliable source. Roast freshly as required, grind as soon as roasted, and make as soon as ground. Some admirably simple coffee-roasters are now obtainable. In the absence of a proper roaster, a frying-pan may be used, a few berries being roasted at a time. A very little butter should be placed in the pan, a low fire should be employed, and the berries should be kept on the move till they are of a light brown colour. It should be remembered that a single burnt berry will spoil the coffee. Coffee should be most carefully strained, and therefore some form of coffee-pot with percolator is desirable. Pack the freshly ground coffee tightly in the strainer, and slowly pour boiling water on it. As soon as the coffee has percolated through, it should be served. Boiling it drives off the aroma. A table-spoonful of ground coffee should be allowed to each _café noir_ cup, or each large cup of _café au lait_. _Café au lait_ consists of an equal mixture of coffee and boiled milk.

_To make Crambambuli._—Boil half a pound of sugar in a quart of ale. Beat six eggs with half a pint of cold ale. Add the boiling ale, and serve.

_To make an Egg-and-Brandy Mixture._—Beat up the yolks of two eggs. Thoroughly mix with a tea-cupful each of brandy and cinnamon water.

_To make Egg Flip._ (From “Oxford Night-Caps.”)—Egg posset, _alias_ egg flip, otherwise, in college language, rum booze. Beat up well the yolks of eight eggs with refined sugar pulverized, and a nutmeg grated; then extract the juice from the rind of a lemon by rubbing loaf sugar upon it, and put the sugar, with a piece of cinnamon and a quart of strong home-brewed beer, into a saucepan, place it on the fire, and when it boils take it off, then add a single glass of gin, or this may be left out, put the liquor into a spouted jug, and pour it gradually among the yolks of eggs, etc. All must be kept well stirred with a spoon while the liquor is being poured in. If it be not sweet enough, add loaf sugar.

_To make Egg Nog._—Well beat the yolks of six eggs, and mix them with half a pound of castor sugar, stirring till the sugar is dissolved. Add this to a mixture of a pint of brandy, a pint of rum, and three pints of milk, stirring the while. Pour over the whole the well-beaten whites of six eggs, and lastly grate a little nutmeg over all. Having been cooled over ice, this should be served in small tumblers. If hot egg nog is desired, use hot milk.

_Fruit Drink._—Mash one pint of strawberries, raspberries, currants, or mulberries in a pint of water, into which the juice of two lemons has been squeezed. Add a little sifted sugar. Strain through a hair sieve. If not sufficiently liquid, add some iced water or half a bottle of soda-water.—_J. R._

_To make John Collin’s Gin Sling, or Gin Fizz._—Mix in a tumbler the juice of half a lemon, a small tea-spoonful of castor sugar, and a wine-glassful of Hollands or of Old Tom gin. Stir for two minutes, then add a few pieces of ice and a bottle of soda-water.

_To make La Masubal, or Lamb’s Wool._—Roast half a dozen apples, having previously cored them. Boil a small piece of crushed ginger, a quarter of a nutmeg grated, and two or three ounces of sugar in a quart of strong ale. Add the pulp of the roasted apples, and serve hot.

_Lemonade._—To make one quart of lemonade allow six ripe lemons, or eight if they are not juicy. Take four good-sized lumps of sugar and rub the outside of the lemons well with them, in order to extract the “zest” of the rind. Pick out every pip, and squeeze every drop of juice the lemons will yield into a jug. Then add the four lumps of sugar, and pour in nearly a quart of boiling water. Cover the jug till the lemonade is cold. It is an improvement to set the lemonade on ice, but do not put any pieces of ice into it.—_J. R._

_The Long Drink._—Take a large soda-water tumbler, and bruise into it twelve or more strawberries, or any fruit which will yield not less than a table-spoonful of juice. Add a table-spoonful of cream, and fill up with soda-water.—_J. R._

_To make Mint Julep._—Place four or five sprigs of mint in a tumbler, together with a table-spoonful of castor sugar and two table-spoonfuls of water. Stir for two minutes, then add a wine-glassful of brandy, and fill up the tumbler with shaved ice. The lip of the tumbler may be rubbed with a piece of fresh pine-apple.

“_Behold this cordial Julep here That foams and dances in his crystal bounds, With spirits of balm and fragrant spices mix’d._”

_To make Mulled Ale._—Boil a quart of ale with a table-spoonful of sugar, a tea-spoonful of crushed ginger, and two or three cloves. Beat up eight eggs in a quarter of a pint of cold ale, and place in a large jug. Pour the boiling ale on this mixture, and then pour the resultant to and from another jug for some minutes in such a way as to froth the mixture fully.

_Mulled Claret._—Put half a pint of claret into a saucepan with a little water, six or eight cloves, and a piece of cinnamon. Make it boiling hot. Grate a little nutmeg and a little ground ginger very finely into a jug, pour the claret in, and add a lump of sugar which has been well rubbed on the rind of a lemon.—_J. R._

_To make Hot Milk Punch._—Dissolve half a pound of sugar in a quart of boiling milk. Add half a bottle of brandy and a quarter of a bottle of rum, grating a little nutmeg over the surface, and adding the thin outer rind and juice of four lemons.

_To make Milk Punch for Bottling._—Place the thin outer peel and the juice of three Seville oranges and three lemons, with half a nutmeg grated, in a bottle with a pint of brandy, and leave it to stand for a few days. Then add a quart of brandy, a pint of rum, a pound of sugar, and three pints of water. Add a quart of boiling milk, and stir thoroughly. Let the mixture stand for twenty-four hours, and then strain through muslin, and bottle.

_To make Hot English Punch._—Rub twelve or more lumps of sugar over the rind of four lemons until the yellow part has been removed. Throw the sugar into the jug or bowl, and make up the weight of sugar to a pound. Add the juice of the lemons and two quarts of boiling water, and stir for five minutes. Then add a bottle of brandy and half a bottle of rum.

_To make Cold Punch._—Proceed as with hot punch, but replacing the boiling water by cold water and a few pieces of ice. The punch itself is better not cooled over ice before serving.